Mr. Gu, within Gu's Entertainment, dismissed over a dozen people in one morning, including high-level management and sought-after project directors. Personnel changes were made that same day, filling all vacant positions, and Gu's overall operations were unaffected.
This swift and decisive action once again allowed everyone at Gu's to witness Mr. Gu's formidable presence.
Simultaneously, at City Number One High School in Z City, Xia Qingtian gathered with several outstanding students recommended by Z University in the grade director's office.
"We warmly welcome all of you to City Number One High School for this event. Some of you are also distinguished alumni of our school. We hope you all feel right at home." After brief pleasantries, the director began assigning classes that required their assistance.
While referred to as a "Campus Little Assistant" activity, it essentially involved serving as teaching assistants for various first-year classes.
It was a mutual assistance program initiated by the Ministry of Education, allowing excellent university students to visit high school campuses.
On one hand, it aimed to motivate high school students to study diligently and strive to attend excellent universities, with the university students serving as role models for these young scholars.
On the other hand, it sought to actively introduce fresh talent into the education sector through university student teaching assistants, encouraging more outstanding students to consider careers in education.
The Ministry of Education's intentions were noble, and the collaborating schools' ideas were also commendable. However, when conveyed to the students and coupled with certain incentives, the underlying sentiment inevitably shifted.
Fortunately, the duration was short, lasting only three days.
Putting on a good show was still beneficial.
As the time came to select classes, Xia Qingtian did not hesitate and directly requested the class where Xia Qingyu was enrolled.
"A rather discerning choice. This class is exceptionally good; the top three students of this year are all in this class," the director said with a smile. "No one else be shy; please make your selections."
Seeing this, the others also casually chose numbers that caught their eye.
"I'm entrusting my idiot brother to you," Li Xiaoxiao said, lightly nudging Xia Qingtian's shoulder.
"Don't worry," Xia Qingtian replied with a wink. They exchanged a knowing smile, their eyes playful.
After the assignments were made, the grade director personally led the teaching assistants to their respective classes.
Earlier that morning, all first-year classes had been informed that students from Z University would be joining them as teaching assistants for the next three days. The students were quite curious; their student life was generally routine, and especially during high school, a novel event to add a touch of excitement to their monotonous daily lives was rather interesting.
Therefore, when the grade director brought the assistants into each classroom, they were met with enthusiastic applause, causing the young university students to blush.
Once they had arrived, the grade director handed over the responsibility of introductions and other basic matters to the assistants themselves, then proceeded to lead the remaining assistants to the next class.
Class after class erupted in warm applause, and students in more distant classrooms began to understand what was happening.
Finally, when the grade director brought Xia Qingtian into a classroom, the expected applause did not materialize. Instead, the students' expressions were filled with bewilderment.
"This..." the grade director was also a bit taken aback. "As expected of the most outstanding class in the first year, everyone is so composed,呵呵. This is Xia Qingtian, a small teaching assistant who will be spending the next three days with you all, and she is also an outstanding alumna of our school. I believe everyone is familiar with her. We hope you will all get along well."
After a perfunctory introduction, the grade director looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "From now on, it's up to you and your homeroom teacher, Ms. Jiang."
"Alright," Xia Qingtian replied with a slight smile. She and Ms. Jiang saw off the grade director. Ms. Jiang then said with a smile, "I didn't expect the teaching assistant for our class to be you. It seems we have a connection with this class."
"Yes," Xia Qingtian smiled, her gaze sweeping across the students. She spotted Xia Qingyu, whose expression was a mix of surprise and excitement, and gave him a wink.
Xia Qingyu finally snapped out of his daze, grinning from ear to ear.
Ms. Jiang first asked Xia Qingtian to introduce herself, then had her sit in a seat that had been prepared. The teaching assistants were assigned seats at the back of the classroom, by the window.
The teaching assistants' duties were also quite relaxed: besides answering questions for some students and assisting in maintaining classroom order, they were to maintain a good image, treating the high school students, who were under significant academic pressure and had busy schedules during this sensitive period, with smiles and patience.
After seeing Xia Qingtian seated, Ms. Jiang resumed her lecture.
Xia Qingyu, unable to focus, kept trying to turn his head. His fingers fidgeted, his mind restless, as if there were irritating thorns growing on his seat.
Xia Qingyu's restlessness was naturally noticed by Nie Qingkong, who was not far away. He twirled the pen in his hand, propped his face up with one hand, and observed Xia Qingyu from the corner of his eye. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what was going on with Xia Qingyu.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang and Ms. Jiang left the podium, Nie Qingkong spoke a single word: "Xia..."
Before he could finish, Xia Qingyu dashed from his sight towards the back of the classroom at top speed.
"Why are you here?" Xia Qingyu leaned slightly forward, resting his hands on the edge of the desk. "You never mentioned it before."
"I wanted to surprise you," Xia Qingtian said, resting her chin on her hand and smiling at Xia Qingyu. "Are you happy?"
"I guess so," Xia Qingyu's lips curved upwards uncontrollably. He said with a hint of pride, "Just don't cause any trouble for me, okay?"
"Never," Xia Qingtian replied with a smile. "We can have lunch together today. Since it's your turf, you're paying."
"You really can't help it, can you?" Xia Qingyu's eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled.
Nie Qingkong watched Xia Qingyu's profile with surprise. He thought he had gotten to know Xia Qingyu very well in recent days, but... Was this how Xia Qingyu smiled? She had never smiled at him like this before...
"Oh my goodness, Goddess Sister! I can't believe you're here!" Shi Xingwu exclaimed excitedly, giving a thumbs-up. "The visual appeal of our class is absolutely the best in the entire school right now!"
"Don't embarrass yourself," Li Xiaozhong intervened, stopping Shi Xingwu from saying more nonsensical things. He then looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "It's been a while."
"Mmm," Xia Qingtian nodded. "Your sister is also participating in this activity. Did she tell you?"
"No," Li Xiaozhong shook his head slightly.
"It's truly impressive she could hold back," Xia Qingtian chuckled, recalling Li Xiaoxiao's personality. Li Xiaozhong couldn't help but chuckle as well, picturing Li Xiaoxiao's sly smiles and peculiar glances at him over the past few days. His usually cold and stiff expression softened, like a spring breeze over a tranquil river, creating gentle ripples: "Yes, it must have been difficult for her."
The classmates who had been watching the interaction were stunned. Li Xiaozhong... could smile?! And it looked... quite handsome!